


you hold my dreams, kid

by smallredboy



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Coming Out, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, HIV/AIDS, Hospitals, Post-Canon, bisexual jason (falsettos)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-08 01:20:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18885220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallredboy/pseuds/smallredboy
Summary: Jason visits Marvin at the hospital.





	you hold my dreams, kid

**Author's Note:**

> i am a sad little creature
> 
> enjoy.

Jason doesn't usually go to visit his dad.

Ever since Whizzer's death, he's been trying to move on. But soon after Marvin fell sick as well, coughing and losing weight like crazy. Gay-Related Immune Deficiency, people are calling it. The name is rotten in Jason's mouth, how he can't disclose anything to any of his school friends without them looking at him with disgust.

He's tired of it all, of his therapist (Mendel has since accepted that he makes a terrible psychiatrist, after when Jason got tired and started yelling at him to stop comforting him and to give him solutions). He's tired of the hospital visits and his mom's stress and grief, how Mendel is exhausted but still goes to work and comes back even more exhausted.

He's trying to move on, but he knows his dad has a similar fate ahead of him. He tries not to let it get to him, he tries not to worry, but he's still ended up crying against his mom's blouse, ugly sobs wracking out of his mouth. His relationship with his dad has always been strained, but he's still his dad.

"Dad," he says as he enters the hospital room. It's reeking of disinfectant and bleach and whatever else that hospital smell is made of.

He looks up at him, the machinery picking up on the way his heartbeat rises. He smiles a little and straightens up, grimacing before settling in a comfortable position.

The only time Jason had to be in a hospital bed was when he broke his leg back in third grade. He can't imagine being in one for longer than a week, but his dad is going for the four-month mark.

"How are you doing?" he asks, sitting down on the seat next to the bed.

He shrugs. "I've been better," he says. There's a pause. "Steady decline, Jason," he says softly, "but I'm fine for now. There's still a while."

"You still haven't caught a big infection or virus…”

"It's only a matter of time," he says bitterly.

Jason puts his hand on his, intertwining their fingers, and his dad recoils only a little before squeezing gently. He squeezes back and nods.

"How are you doing, kid?"

"I'm doing okay," he says. "Freshman year is hard."

He chuckles. "I imagine." He pulls his hand away to caress Jason's cheek. He usually would be put off by the intimate touch (he's not a big fan of touch in general), but he leans into it and closes his eyes. "Got any girls on your line of sight?"

Jason laughs humorlessly; he can't even think about falling for some girl or boy right now. It's impossible, nearly a joke.

"No," he says.

He hums and tilts his head like he can read his thoughts. "Not even a boy?"

He stammers, blush rushing into his cheeks. "How— I haven't told you yet…"

"Maybe it _is_ genetic," he mumbles. "Bisexual, huh?"

He bites his lip. "Yeah. You took my chance of coming out dramatically, so…"

"No, no!" he exclaims. "Do come out, by all means. You won't get to surpass me, though, so."

Jason smiles. "I don't think there's a way to surpass a gay divorce."

His dad shrugs before a small smile tugs at the corners of his lips. "If both me and Trina were gay, then maybe that would've been more dramatic." He goes into a coughing fit and Jason stares at him worriedly before he goes back to normal, only small ragged breaths coming out of his mouth. "Do come out, kid."

Jason goes back to his plan, cheesy and nearing a speech, and a small smile goes to his lips. "Well, dad, I don't want to overshadow you as the family gay or anything, but…" He makes gestures with his hands, some of it signs in American Sign Language he learned when he was little. "I'm bisexual, and I have had a couple of crushes on guys. A lot more on girls, though."

Marvin smiles and messes with Jason's hair, leaving a fluffy, curly mess behind. "That was lackluster," he says.

"Shut up," Jason whines, relaxing on the couch. "I'm glad I told you, though. Next up is mom."

He nods. "I'm glad you told me too, kid." He cleats his throat snd goes into another coughing fit before he reaches for water. Jason hands the bottle to him, and he takes sips from it gratefully. "Sing your own song. I'm sure Trina will be eager to support you."

"She'll get worried 'm gonna catch GRID," he says without an ounce of doubt. He's always with her, he knows how she's going to respond to the news that her kid also likes boys.

"You're _fourteen_ ," Marvin argues, his face scrunched up at the idea.

"Dad, mom gets worried over everything," he points out, rubbing his face with his palm. "I'll be fine, though. I can survive her trying to give me the talk."

Marvin laughs a little and takes more sips of water to avoid another coughing fit.

There are a few moments of comfortable silence before he says, "Kid, I know Whizzer is really proud of you."

Jason's breath gets stuck in his throat and he looks up at Marvin, eyes wide. He nods like he's silently repeating the words he just spoke.

"You really think so?" he asks, voice strained.

Marvin leans in to kiss his forehead. "I _know_ he's proud of you. He would've loved to have heard about you coming out to me. And he'd make sure to find guys your age to have teenager activities with like holding hands."

Jason chuckles and shakes his head, tears threatening to spill. He knows Whizzer is somewhere— wherever the hell he is now that he's gone— and that he's listening on to this conversation.

A few tears slide down his cheeks, and Marvin wipes them away gently, holding Jason's face with his hands. His look is adoring and so loving, and sometimes he doesn't know how this is the same man who left his mom and was a disastrous asshole for about a year.

He clears his throat. "Thank you, dad."

He knows Whizzer is smiling as he watches over them. Like a guardian angel.

 


End file.
